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At first this reminds me of Pink Snowballs, but with musky violet in place of the rose. The snow is the forest type - it definitely has a feel of pines and dark green leaves about it.

 

As time goes on, the violet gives way to the other floral notes and the musk also deepens - it's now more complex than the violets+snow combination that I had at the start. It ends up being mainly about the snow, with a blue/purple florals feel, and a layer of musk moving through it. It's quite evocative of the snow-filled forests full of big tall old pine trees and wild winter flowers that I used to tromp through as a child in England.

I've just got a really old Lab imp of this (the old 'flying witch' style imp label), so it's probably quite different from how a newer imp/bottle might smell, but that said..

The oil is a rich golden apricot in colour, and when it first hits my skin it gives off a lovely throw of rich apricot syrup. My first thought was that it reminds me very much of my aged Queen Mab. I can also smell some plum behind there - the same rich and deep plum as Hellion has. There's also something that reminds me of Sugar Cane here, but I don't see that as a listed note so maybe that's coming from the way the florals have merged with the musks and sweet roots over time - it's a very 'waxy' but musky sweet base.

10 minutes in, and that initial wave of apricot syrup has faded and now the pomegranate is here - lovely, rich and deep but not overly sweet. I'm picking up more rose now too.

Half an hour later, and this has faded greatly - it's still the same as it was at 10 minutes, but everything has softened and loosened up. The apricot has gone into the background a bit. Then after just over an hour, I'm left with mostly rose and pomegrate with a slight layer of apricot and plum. It smells very 'real' - like those things were actually sitting in a bowl in my house, exuding their various aromas. Very soft and pretty, almost Victorian feeling - definitely a feminine blend but it also has a quiet strength.

I took a chance on this as a swap, because I haven't met a BPTP spray yet that I haven't liked.. but I really didn't expect to be too excited about this one - I guess I was expecting it to be one of those flowery bathroom spray types of smells. Since my fave sprays are the more "dark" ones like Bah! Humbug and Doc Constantine and Mahogany Hall, this one didn't sound at all like something I'd want my house to smell like.

 

Soooo.. I'm glad I chanced it - this is really gorgeous! The ginger lily is the most prominent note that I get - but it's more ginger than lily.. lightly spicy and sugary. I can smell the floral notes, but they're not at all FLORAL as such - they're just soft and sweet and very pretty. The musks are clean and bright and just a touch powdery from the amber.

 

The end result from two spritzes is a kind of musky bubblegum - as others have said, it's a candy type scent with a musky edge. And if I walk through the room after spritzing, my clothes pick up the scent and I smell lovely too!! Oh.. and it lasts really well! When I spray in the morning before leaving for work, I come home 9 hours later.. open the door, and get greeted by a waft of sweet clean air. I still prefer the more intense/smoky/dark BPTP sprays, but this makes a nice change - it's the one I use when I just want the house to smell fresh and clean and.. just.. nice. It's a shame this was such a limited run, because I would definitely buy another bottle if it were available.

Here's how The Night-Raven went for me, in sequence:

 

Open the vial - hmm.. rose soap?

Dab on skin - eek.. rose soap!

Lean in 10 minutes later - rose soap, oh hello - is that you, plum? Geranium, nice to see you.

Lean in 20 minutes later - rose potpourri of the cheap and nasty variety

Take a big whiff 30 minutes later - rose soap, pongy geranium and stinky jasmine. Reminds me of those awful fragrance cake things you find in gas station bathrooms.

45 minutes later - time to wash this off.

 

Such is the tale of rose and I. Bummer - what happened to the wild plum, I never found that at all. I was hoping the patchouli and musk might have won the good fight against the rose. But no - nuh uh, rose wins. And when rose wins, I lose. I'll be saying bye-byes to The Night Raven.

 

Edited to fix rose-induced spelling errors. Yes, rose hates me that much it causes typos.

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Ooh! This really does smell of mushrooms! Not in a fungus/yeasty/mouldy kind of way though - just in, err.. a mushroomy kind of way

 

The fig is lovely - fig typically goes a bit chocolatey on my skin, and it's doing that here. So the fig in combination with the oakmoss and patchouli works beautifully for me - overall I get a lovely earthy, natural smell out of this, without it turning to a dirt smell.

 

It does fade a bit, but not quickly, so it eventually dries down to a nice smudgy organic kind of scent that sticks pretty close to my skin. The fig wafts up every now and then - HI FIG! - but everything is so nicely balanced in this blend that it doesn't really bother me when it does - actually, it's kinda nice. The patchouli never goes all snarly - it's quite soft and mellow in this one which will be a relief for people who have trouble with patchouli being too strong. And the mushroom thing fades more than any other note - it was by far the most obvious note when I first applied the oil, but now it's faded right into the background.

 

A very interesting scent - one I tried more for curiosity than because I thought I was going to love it.. and I won't ever need a bottle, but I'm glad I tried it. I'd say it's a must-try for anyone who loves these kinds of BPALs.

GAH! It took me ages to find this conversation about Pacifica's Spanish Amber, since it's been merged into this new thread! Annnnnnyway...

 

I got mine! I actually received it over a week ago, but I've had a ghastly cold and no ability to smell anything, so it's taken this long before I could try it! And my verdict? Well...

 

Yes, it does smell like Spanked - they really are very similar indeed. I completely agree with what was said earlier - they don't smell exactly the same, they kinda feel the same, but there is definitely a likeness in the scent. I did a two-arm comparison (Spanish Amber on the left, Spanked on the right - of course Spanked completely stomps all over the Pacifica - it's just way more rich and deep and complex.

 

I bought the little tin of the solid perfume version, because that was the cheapest option for international shipping, and it's got a lovely texture plus the tin is cute. However.. as others mentioned.. the scent itself is light, and doesn't last long on the skin, so I'd probably go through this little tin pretty quickly if I were wearing it daily. But if you're really craving Spanked, this certainly is a decent stand-in

First up - sorry to hear things have been so rough, I hope they get better for you real soon

 

There isn't really *one* scent that I reach for when I'm feeling blue.. although I do find TKO makes me kinda happy, for me it's very relaxing. I made a little room spray up with TKO, and a few spritzes of that through the room seems to mellow me out a lot.

 

Sometimes I want to wallow in the feeling of depression, I hope you'll know what I mean by that, cos I know it sounds crazy - but sometimes I just want to "enjoy" it for what it is and let it stay with me a while - usually when I'm like that I will reach for more 'dark' smells like Crowley or Hellhound or Snake Oil or Lucy, Kissed.. something about those deep, sensual smells is very comforting.

 

Other times, I'll want something bright and cheery to lift me up - that's when I'll reach for something like Mouse's Sad and Long Tale, or Snow White or Antique Lace, or a vanilla/foody type blend. I have to be in the right place for that though.. if I try those kinds of smells when I'm not really ready to be cheered up then they annoy me with their happiness (again, hopefully you'll get what I mean there).

 

BUT! I do have one thing that never fails to cheer me up.. my box o'smellies. I have all my GC imps in one box, and all my LE decants in another. Sometimes I just like to get one (or both) of the boxes and go through them - trying things I haven't worn in ages, imps I haven't tested yet, reacquainting myself with old faves - I can spend ages doing that, and I find it takes my mind off of just about everything. So that would be my suggestion - maybe it will work for you too.

 

Finally.. one more for you

Gwydion - the reviews for One to Tie, Two to win are here

 

If you use the GRAY skin, you'll have access to a good search via the 'Advanced' link next to the Search field. Although I don't think even that would have helped with One to Tie, since the forum search needs more than three letters to find something.

I think part of the reason why leather is so elusive for you in your BPALs is because you're so familiar with the smell that when you encounter it blended with other notes, it just doesn't smell right. Just a guess, or a thought

 

The best leathers I've found in terms of the leather being dominant over other notes, and being a "real" leather smell would be:

 

Soft/suede type leathers - Sacrifice, NGG023 prototype, Rivet Goth, Nanny Ashtoreth

Dark/hot type leathers - Spanked, Crowley, The Black Rider, Brom Bones, Western Diamondback, Iago

Old/worn type leathers - Clockwork Couture: Male, Hunter

Sharp/fresh type leathers - DeSade, The Traveller

Red/brown/raw type leathers - The Red Rider

Sweeter type leathers - Liz (flowery/vanilla leather), The Blockhead (bubblegum leather), Dee

Clean/fresh type leathers - The White Rider, Liz (again), Clockwork Couture: Female

 

Unfortunately, many of those are either rare or very hard to find, but if you do some hunting around you should be able to find most of them.

 

Leather tends to vary a lot on different skins, so the trick is to try as many as possible - what's soft and sweet for one person can be completely different for another. The good news is.. there's loads of leather blends in BPAL land, so there's plenty to try! It's worth reading through the leather recommendations thread too, there's lots more there to read about. (Actually this discussion will probably get moved there by forum mods, I think)

 

Good luck with your search!

I have a similar problem with rose as you, starfish327, and I don't like it when it's in floral blends. But I think you might really like Lucy, Kissed. These are the notes:

 

Diabolical voluptuousness, a siren song from the grave: juniper and yew brushing against blackened violets and funeral roses, red musk and hot blood, veined white marble and icy, brittle musk, all pulsing with the sinister, hypnotic scent of patchouli, amber, oude, and cubeb.

 

And reviews are here. It was an LE from BPTP last year, so you may have to hunt around a bit to find some, but it's a stunner - the rose is that 'dead' type of dark sexy rose, and as you can see.. all the other notes are anything but floral or girly. It's rich and sumptuous, dark and sinister - I'd definitely recommend it for you

Pruno?

I have a bottle coming to me, and based on the notes, it sounds interesting, but for all I know, it smells like straight heinz 57 LOL

 

Reviews for Pruno are here. I can't begin to tell you how nasty it smelt on me.. but for some people it was gorgeous, so I hope it works for you!

Oh.. Obatala definitely has to be in your pack - it's a lovely coconut blend, without being too suntan lotion-ish. Goblin is another one I'd definitely vote for, although it's a black coconut so it's much less sweet and with the benzoin & patchouli notes it's combined with.. overall Goblin is a 'dark' blend but the coconut is truly lovely. Blood Pearl is gorgeous, the coconut in that one is soft and velvety.

 

Shango is one of my faves but to be honest I didn't get any coconut from it.. same with Eden, coconut wasn't a dominant note in that one either. And Elegba is delicious but for me it was all about the rum and spices - the coconut was very subtle.

 

I'm not sure if any of that helps, but I really don't think you can go wrong with any of those that you listed - they're all lovely!

First up.. I need to do a big and send huge to angelicruin for sending me a tester of this!!

 

This Plum SN is completely intoxicating - as soon as I took the cap off of the vial, I was hit with the velvety richness of plum - I immediately thought of Hellion, then a split second later I thought of Snake Charmer. It's not a soft and subtle plum.. oh, no. It's a WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM kinda plum - all dark and sexy and smokey, the kind of plum that saunters up to you with a juicy wink and wiggles its hips in a lewd fashion. A naughty plum!

 

So I dab it on, and I'm enveloped in a cloud of purple haze, smokey sweet plum with a touch of spicy sourness. It is very musk and incensey - I agree totally with the previous reviews. Hellion is still on my mind - this is definitely the same plum that Hellion has. Not so much the Snake Charmer now, but more the Dionysia type plum.

 

After about 45 minutes or so, the smokey sultriness and velvety smoothness that the plum initially had has worn off, and the sour undertone has crept more to the top. The muskiness has also faded a bit, the fruitiness seems more fresh now. The incense-y vibe is still there though, although it doesn't really smell like incense at all - it has that smokey feel about it.

 

It's now been on my arm for about 90 minutes, and it's still going strong. This is a plum that lasts and lasts - it's faded and softened but it's still very present. It hasn't really changed much since the 45 minute point - it's still slightly sour but still very rich and incensey. Actually I think it's at its best now - it was kinda stinging my nose a little before, because it was just *that* strong. But now.. mmm.. lovely dusky plum. Very, very nice - I'm so glad I got to try this one!!

What an interesting topic to think about!

 

I'm wondering also about the difference between one's natural hair colour and the colour you choose to make it - would there be a difference when it comes to characteristics, personality, and/or scent preferences?

 

I'm a natural blonde, but I'm a very anti-bimbo kind of blonde... I guess I'm more of the beach bum hippy-ish kinda blonde And I love dark, mysterious, smutty and sensual smells.. my faves are things like Crowley and Spanked, and dirtily delicious vanillas like Banshee Beat and Snake Oil. But I also dig yummy things like Candy Butcher and girly things like Antique Lace.

 

revinn - I guess I have a thing about ladies with dark black hair too.. I definitely envisage them as being on the the 'dark' side of smells. I think you're right - it does say a lot about our perceptions and/or pre-conceived ideas about certain hair colours

Thank you I forgot about Sephora which would also have worked for my instant gratification, but I ended up walking in the shadow of sunshinedaisybliss and getting it on Ebay, along with a solid of the Mexican Cocoa. It ended up being cheaper than if I had gotten it at Whole Foods or Sephora, so I'm happy. It isn't instant gratification, but I can be patient for a few days.

 

Ooh - you'll get yours before me! (not jealous.. much )

 

Lucky I didn't notice the Mexican Cocoa, I purposely didn't look at the seller's other items. I can not be trusted to browse eBay alone

Hmm.. I acquired this decant via a swap.. I was curious to try Shrunken Heads, even though I knew there was a strong change it wouldn't work for me at all. I'm all about the leather, always, but in general.. ferns and herbs and other similar shrubbery type material is not my friend.

 

Ayup - I was right. I can smell the leather in this blend, but it's completely overtaken by the herbs and rainforest stuff. If I was ever to be wandering aimlessly in an Amazon rainforest, and discover a man who bathed in a rainforest stream and washed with fern leafs, this is how he would smell. In reality, Shrunken Heads ends up smelling like a green-y male aftershave/cologne.. not good on me, and not the type of man-smell that I like either. But if that's your type of thing, then you should definitely try it.. because it really is quite lovely in its own right. Just not for me

I think that this oil was probably more 'pulsating and throbbing' in its younger years, but I didn't test it back then - I just received a testable decant of it today and it's now much more soft and creamy than I was expecting from reading the description.. it actually reminds me of Glowing Vulva - although they don't really smell alike, they both have that fleshy/creamy/sex thing going on. I couldn't pick up lavender in there, but definitely the purple sage and mango. It also reminds me of Shango (the wet fruitiness aspect, and the 'red' particularly), but Corazon sits at a much a higher level of complexity and richness. And this is one of the nicer red musks I've come across - very smooth and skin-hugging.

 

Thank you to lbfury3 for the tester of this old lovely!

You girls are evil. EVIL

 

I bought the solid perfume from a US seller on eBay, so it's going to take a week or two before I get it.. but I promise to come back here and let you all know how it goes.

 

Thanks again, talula_fairie, for posting this info

Bottle #49

 

Opening up the bottle, I can immediately smell gingerbread cookies! But not in the style of previous gingerbread-based BPALs.. this has a sweet softness atop the spice and sugar feel of the gingerbread. On my skin, nothing changes much for the first 5 minutes.. but then the lovely vanilla comes out, and the gingerbread smell takes on a different dimension. I can smell the spices more now (there's definitely some cinnamon and maybe a touch of nutmeg in here), but the vanilla is creamy and rich. Hmm.. this is getting interesting!

 

Half an hour later, and the vanilla has warmed up nicely to be more of a match for the gingerbread. Now I'd say it's about even.. the spiciness of the gingerbread has softened up, and whilst there's still a definite gingerbread cookie vibe here - the 'nose tickling' feel of the spices in the gingerbread has gone.

 

One hour in, and now I've got a deliciously soft and creamy vanilla/gingerbread mix. The spices have mellowed nicely - they're still in there, but more in the background. The vanilla's beautiful here - it's rich and creamy, rather than sweet or sickly. Now it's more like gingerbread icecream.. is there such a thing?!? if not, there should be!! - yum! Oh.. and I should mention, it's been on my skin for six hours now, and it's still smelling great - this one has excellent staying power.

 

As gorgeous as this is, I'm not sure I'll wear it enough to justify keeping it.. so I'm putting it up for swaps. It's far too nice to just sit in my drawer!

I'm going to have to give this a try! I must say.. honestly.. I'm kinda skeptical that anything could be as good as Spanked But you've got me curious enough to want to find out

 

They don't ship internationally, but I can see some on the US eBay so if I end up buying, I'll definitely come back and let you know how it goes!! Thanks for the rec

Why have I never noticed The Blockhead earlier? The number of times I've gone through the CD page on the Lab website, trying to find something that might work for me (I've had consistently bad luck with most CD blends I've tried).. and never seen this one. Or perhaps I did see it, and read the 'rusted metal' bit first and skimmed past the bubblegum and leather bit. Clearly, I'm an idiot Anyway, I finally got some. I purchased a partial bottle, so I'm not sure of the age of this oil.

 

Please excuse me for a moment - I just need to get this out. *clears throat* OMG L!@FHKOS&@KAFS;!!!!!! I freakin' love it!!

 

When I first swiped it on, the pink bubblegum jumped right up in my face with its bubblegum-i-ness. Sweet and pink, just like err.. pink bubblegum, but so well done - not fake or chemical smelling. That initial blast of bubblegum steps back within about five minutes, and then this gorrrrrrrrrgeous smoky leather comes out. This is exactly the leather note that I love.. not the sharp medicinal one that I get from De Sade, but the dark/deep/hot/sensuous one that I get from Spanked and Crowley. Except in The Blockhead, it's not mixed with other similarly dark notes - which gives the leather a completely different feel. This is the kind of leather smell you'd want from your most comfy couch - the leather you'd use as bed sheets if you could, because your bed should smell this good.

 

30 minutes in, and the bubblegum has dried down really nicely - it's still there, but the pinkness and sweetness has mellowed beautifully. It's just playing with the leather now. And the rusted metal? I dunno - I'm not really picking that up in any major way, there's perhaps a hint of a dull metallic edge to this on my skin, but if it wasn't listed in the notes I may not have noticed it.

 

So yeah, I think I might actually love The Blockhead

 

 

edited for spelling failure!

I have to say that I'm just a teensy bit disappointed in this one - with the notes listed, I was expecting a real WHAM BAM dark smutty sexy thing.. and sadly, that's not what I'm getting.

 

In its wet stage, it's mostly sandalwood and ginger with a hint of clove and a fair slap of sharp leather. But not particularly rich or deep - it's all quite light. Once it starts to dry down, the leather softens up but keeps a slightly sharp edge, the honey and sandalwood come out - making it all go a little powdery. I can also start to smell the cedar and balsam at this stage.

 

When fully dry, it's reminding me of another BPAL but I can't make the connection.. which is extremely annoying! Maybe it's Raven Moon.. I dunno. Ultimately, this ends up being a rather soft and subdued scent that's mostly leather, sandalwood and musk. Sadly, the smoky vanilla never really makes an appearance and that's what I was most excited about getting from this. So overall, VILF is *nice*, but not the OMG I LOVE THIS blend that I thought it would be. I do, however, suspect it might develop some fangs once it's aged a bit. Vampires are in their prime after a couple of hundred years, right?

I wish I could go back in time and smell this one fresh from the bottle when it first came out, because I suspect the balance of notes has changed over the years. This is mostly apple blossom and myrrh on me, with a hint of hops. The oak bark comes out more after about a half-hour on my skin, and I think I can detect the hazel way back behind the apples. The ivy and sage are so well blended that I can barely find them.

 

This is one of those lovely comforting blends, it's quite soft and powdery but still has some substance - the apple blossom is gorgeous! And it's strangely invigorating.

Mmm.. pie! Blackcurrant pie, maybe? There's some spice in here.. it's almost pumpkin-ish but not quite, so maybe it has nutmeg in it? It's reminding me of Butter Rum Cookie - there's a similar buttery/rum kind of thing going on in IXHV37, but BRC was really strong on my skin where this is more subdued. I'd also agree with SurrealReality's comparison to Knave of Hearts - that same rich pie crust flavour is in this one too, with the blackcurrant fruitiness. And unfortunately, as SR mentioned.. yeah - blackberry does the cat pee thing on me too

 

I didn't really get any of the sugared rose or floral things that previous reviewers have mentioned, but my skin amps anything related to sugar or pie crust type notes. I waited until it had been on for an hour before writing this review, so nope - definitely no florals. A slightly burnt plastic kinda smell did come out though, along with a light cat pee odour unfortunately, which always happens to me with these blackberry pie kinds of blends.

 

Overall, whilst this is quite delicious and nice and soft.. I've smelled other BPALs that are similar enough to this one that I wouldn't go hunting down a bottle of it.

 

Thanks to bookandbroom for the tester!

Another tester from the very generous bookandbroom - thank you!

 

When I first took the cap off of the vial, I got a whiff of 'blue' that reminded me of Blue Phoenix - I thought OOOH, this is going to be yummy! Then I dabbed some oil on my skin, and there was a slight waft of the same blue, but then when I leaned in for a sniff.. oh HELLO pumpkin! The blue is still there, but it's very much in the background now and I have to really go looking for it.

 

This could easily have been a regular Pumpkin Patch style blend, it's quite buttery and softly spicy, but I can detect a hint of something blueberry-ish or perhaps a blue/purple grape in there. Overall.. this is nice, and less in-your-face pumpkin than some of the PP oils that have come out over the years - it's less spicy, more soft/sweet in a cotton-candy kinda way.. it's fluffy! If this comes out as part of the CD, I know people will be happy to have another nice pumpkin blend without having to wait for the Weenies